Metonymy Definition

mə-tŏnə-mē
metonymies
noun
A figure of speech in which the name of one thing is used in place of that of another associated with or suggested by it (Ex.: “the White House” for “the President”)
Webster's New World

The use of a single characteristic or name of an object to identify an entire object or related object.

Wiktionary

(countable) A metonym.

Wiktionary
other
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Metonymy

Noun

Singular:
metonymy
Plural:
metonymies

Origin of Metonymy

  • From Late Latin metonymia, from Ancient Greek μετονομασία (metōnumia, “change of name"), from μετά (meta, “other") + ὄνομα (onoma, “name").

    From Wiktionary

  • Late Latin metōnymia from Greek metōnumiā meta- meta- onuma name nō̆-men- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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